Interwoven
by Suri.Bright
Summary: WidgetxOC The past and the future have an odd way of entwining with each other. One cannot quite exist without the other. Poppet has a vision of a young woman joining the Night Circus...and playing a big role in Widget's heart. WidgetxOC


_**Interwoven **_

Chapter 1: The Past

**Author's Note: In no wa****y do I claim the characters, circus, or any further things from Erin Morgenstern's _The Night Circus_. I am but a humble writer fond of Widget. Also, if parts of this chapter sound similar to her story, that is on purpose. It is only done for this chapter. I have no intentions of plagiarizing. **_  
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**Enjoy!  
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_Dublin – November 1947_

A young blonde woman wandered the colorless curving paths alone. She was dressed in a long black overcoat over a black and cream colored dress. The only color in her outfit was a bright red scarf that kept her warm that autumn night as she explored _Le Cirque de _Rêves as a _rêveur_. Following her path, the young woman eventually found a tent she had seen before, but never entered. It was a small tent in comparison to some of the bigger ones that were part of the circus. The sign in front of the tent read "Fortune Teller" in beautiful and looping print.

Usually the young woman wasn't one to believe in fortunes being told, but tonight was a night where here heart ached in a terrible way and all she wanted was to know that she would be okay. Taking a deep breath, the young woman built up the nerves to enter the fortune teller's tent.

Within the tent, the woman was surprised to find no one in line. Looking around the cozy but dark tent, she spotted a divider made out of beads. For a moment, the young woman paused, wondering why no one was there. She was just about to leave before a voice called to her beyond the beaded divider.

"You may enter if you wish to have your fortune told."

Feeling like a child caught in a secret act the woman walked toward the beaded curtain, deciding there was no turning back now. Slipping her hands through the beads, the woman passed through the divider, enjoying the rippling sound the beads made when touched. Beyond the divider was a young woman dressed in white sitting at a table with two candles lit. Her face and hair was covered by a black veil, leaving her eyes and red eyebrows exposed. On the table in front of the fortune teller, there was no crystal ball and no set of cards, there simply was a handful of miniature stars.

"Please," said the fortune teller, holding a hand out to the chair in front of her, "have a seat."

The young woman obliged. She decided that the fortune teller might have been a couple years younger than her by the sound of her voice.

"Before we begin, I must ask a fee before we see what the stars have to say about your future."

"Alright," said the young woman. "How much is it?"

"However much you deem worthy," explained the fortune teller.

The young woman nodded and pulled out several bills and handed them to the fortune teller who took them and put them in a box beneath the table without counting the money.

"You come to see about the future," said the fortune teller, smiling beneath her veil. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Elizabeth," answered the blonde _rêveur_.

"Elizabeth, do you have a question in particular?"

"Yes, er, no, I mean…" Elizabeth trailed off as her cheeks grew warm with embarrassment. She did indeed have a question, but she didn't want to say.

Sensing the young woman's nerves, the fortune teller sought to relax her patroness. "Your question will be safe with me," she assured her, "many young women ask about love, children, and the like. Is your question along those lines?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"Let's see what the stars have to say about that." The fortune teller gathered the small stars in her hand, shook them gently, and let them fall from her hands. Staring at the fallen pattern she closed her eyes for a moment.

Elizabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes; anyone could throw stars and make some sort of fortune up. Finally the fortune teller opened her eyes, and by the curvature of her eyes, Elizabeth guessed she was smiling beneath her veil.

"You are 24, correct," asked the fortune teller.

"Y-yes."

"The stars tell me you are an only child with loving parents, yet you feel as though you've grown up with a sheltered life. You are a well-educated woman, yet there's something missing in your heart. You wish to be married and have children." The fortune teller paused and looked at Elizabeth, waiting for confirmation.

Elizabeth was privileged to get a higher education, but it was true, her heart was terribly lonely. She knew that she would trade all of her education if it meant she could be a wife and a mother. Elizabeth nodded, no longer doubting the teller. "You're right. All I want it so be a wife and mother."

"You will be blessed, dear," said the fortune teller. "By this time next year you will find yourself with child and very happily married. The stars tell me you will have one granddaughter. She will be beautiful and kind. Also, this granddaughter is very special. She will do great things."

"What will she do," Elizabeth asked, fidgeting in her seat with excitement.

"That is for fate to decide," the Fortune Teller answered, "but the stars say she will be adventurous and daring."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said, her mood entirely lifted from the sadness she felt when she entered the tent. Elizabeth smiled at the fortune teller who seemed to look at her with eyes that held a secret. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

"My name," said the Fortune Teller, slightly amused. Very people asked for her name. "Everyone calls me Poppet."

"Poppet," the woman repeated as she stood up. "Thank you, for reading for me."

"My pleasure," said Poppet. "Also, might I suggest you visit the Ice Garden immediately after this?"

"The Ice Garden, is that a particular reason?"

"It's quite lovely at this time," said Poppet in a vague way.

"Alright," said the woman, deciding to follow Poppet's advice. Thanking Poppet again, Elizabeth exited the tent.

Several moments after the woman left, a figure emerged from the shadows of the tent. He wore all black and his bright red hair was mostly obscured by a top hat.

"That's her?"

"Yes, Widge," said Poppet with a smile. "The stars told me even before I read for her that her granddaughter will be the one to truly test your abilities. Also, you may fall in love with the girl."

Widget blushed at Poppet's words. He was a man much older than the twenty-one years he looked, and in his time, he had known very few women, mostly because he claimed to be devoted only to the Night Circus, however the idea of a woman coming years later to test his abilities intrigued him. He touched Poppet's shoulder lightly before exiting the tent.

"We'll see, 'Pet, we'll see."

The Ice Garden was deserted by the time Elizabeth got there, which was fine by her. At that moment, she wanted to be alone to mull over Poppet's words. Silently she walked among the plants that felt cool to the touch. Gently she reached up to touch the white branch of a tree when someone tapped her shoulder from behind.

A man with hair as dark as night and kind blue eyes smiled at Elizabeth in a shy and almost apologetic way. He was dressed in all black, save for the red rose on his lapel. Like her, he was a _rêveur_ too.

"Forgive me, lass, but you seemed to have dropped your gloves."

Elizabeth reached into her pockets to find that your gloves had gone missing. She had taken them off when getting her reading from Poppet, and had forgotten to put them on. "Thank you," she said to the man, her fingers gently brushed against his as she took back her gloves.

"You are most welcome. It's not right for a woman's hands to freeze on such a cold night. Might I ask your name?"

"Elizabeth," answered Elizabeth. She could feel heat rising to her cheeks under the young man's beautiful gaze.

"Elizabeth," he said, her name sounded like magic on his tongue. "I'm Bradley. If you aren't busy, may you do me the honor of buying you a cider?"

"I would like that very much," answered Elizabeth. Bradley smiled as he offered her his arm, and they left the Ice Garden, discussing their favorite tents.

Several months later, they were married.

A year later, Elizabeth found herself with child.

40 years later, after 4 grandsons, Elizabeth finally had a granddaughter. Her name is Aislinn.


End file.
